Workmen who must wear protective helmets or hard hats to protect against falling objects and the like, must occasionally work around very noisy machinery. Ear protectors are available with an earplug-holding band that extends under the chin or behind the head, to enable wearing while the workman also wears a helmet. However, the necessity to carry and store a separate ear protector, in addition to the protective helmet, is inconvenient and annoying to workmen, and therefore the ear protectors are often unavailable when the need for them arises.